After two years of being the bridesmaid and twice losing the lead in the final 10 laps of the race, John Hunter Nemechek’s heartbreak in the Allen Turner Snowflake 100 came to an end Saturday night at Five Flags Speedway (FL). Nemechek of Morresville, North Carolina dominated the 100-lap event en route to capturing the $7,000 top prize.

It was a big win that came as a result of the advice he received during those two runner-up performances.

“I didn’t listen very good to my Truck crew chief, who is here spotting for me, on lap times the last two years and it has cost me the race,” Nemechek said. “It’s great to change that and be patient and it paid off.”

Nemechek led from the get go and only relinquished the top spot to fast qualifier Justin South on one short occasion. On restarts, he noticeably chose the outside in order to have the advantage.

“Being able to get the momentum off the corner,” Nemechek answered. “We picked the top because of the speedy dry at one point and those guys went into the corner and got really loose on the bottom.”

The next day, Nemechek was poised to back up his Snowball Derby 300 victory from 2014, but a late-race mechanical issue thwarted that plan. Nemechek’s No. 8 went up in smoke in the closing laps while running in the top five. Flames erupted and his car crashed to a stop on pit road, bringing his Snowball title defense to an end.